


Familiar Heartbeat

by anonymousdaredevils



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Crying, Fake Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, we all just love to make these boys cry don't we
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 12:29:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4019767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousdaredevils/pseuds/anonymousdaredevils
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>This was always going to end with Foggy dead.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>For a prompt on the Daredevil kink meme:</p><p>Matt is made to believe that Foggy died.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familiar Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> The full prompt, which contains a spoiler for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (I know a few people are getting into MCU stuff because of Daredevil and I don't wanna be that guy):
> 
> "MattFoggy or Gen, Matt is made to believe that Foggy died
> 
> Maybe something prevents him from hearing Foggy's heartbeat? Or someone drugs Foggy with whatever they used to fake nick furys death in catws? 
> 
> in any case, Matt thinks Foggy is dead, tears through the bad guys he thinks responsible in a massive storm of rage and when they are all down he quietly collapses and starts to weep.
> 
> and then one very alive Foggy comes in all worried and Matt practically throws himself at him, clinging to Foggy in relief."
> 
> I tried to make this believable with both the idea of Matt/Foggy and of Matt&Foggy as very close friends (or qpp, aromates, etc). Take your pick.

Of course this was going to happen.  
  
Of _course_ this was going to _happen_.  
  
Matt doesn't know who, or how. What he does know is that he _should_ have known.  
  
This was always going to put his friends in danger. This was always going to put Foggy in danger. This was –  
  
This was always going to end with Foggy dead.  
  
That's what _happens_. To people like Matt. To people like Foggy. When you do what Matt does and you have someone who - someone who is the most important person in the _world_ , that person gets kidnapped. That person gets killed. Matt should have _known_.  
  
He thought he was doing pretty well with the whole secret identity thing, is the problem. He still doesn't know who broke his cover, or how. And he's finding it hard to care at the moment.  
  
The last man goes down, hits the floor hard and doesn't get back up. Matt wants to kill him. He wants to kill everyone in this room but Foggy wouldn't –  
  
Foggy wouldn't want anyone _killed for him_ , and the thought sends Matt to his knees. The floor around him is littered with unconscious bodies and any one of them might start moving again soon but he doesn't _care_. He is so, so very up for round two.  
  
Except it's getting a little difficult to concentrate. It's getting a little difficult to breathe. Something is stuck in his throat, something is stuck in his chest, something –  
  
No one is moving yet. Matt is tempted to shove the cowl up off his face and wipe his eyes, but there could be cameras and he can't make himself focus closely enough to search. If there's any chance at all they somehow don't know _exactly_ who he is – if there's any chance they can't tell yet that this has  _destroyed_ him –  
  
He doesn't want them thinking they're _right_.  
  
He doesn't want them going after Karen next. He doesn't want them going after Claire.  
  
He needs to warn both of them. He needs to do a lot of things. He needs to _(call Foggy's family, call Brett, call a funeral home, curl up somewhere quiet and dark where no one will find him and he can hate himself in peace)_ get up off the floor, which he will, as soon as he can just – stop _shaking_ –  
  
Footsteps.  
  
Heartbeat.  
  
Matt stiffens, fists clenched. Eyes burning. He's ready. He's more than ready, he'll fight off a hundred, two hundred more, he'll take on every criminal, every crooked cop in this city, he'll –  
  
He recognizes that heartbeat.  
  
He can't _do_ that with everyone, it's not – it's not that simple, a heartbeat is a heartbeat, but he _knows this one_. He spent three years sleeping across the room from this one – even if its hammering now more closely resembles that one last cram session before the bar. He _knows_ it, matched up with those footsteps, he _knows_ that _sound_.  
  
He stands, opens his mouth, shuts it again because there won't be any words coming out of it anytime soon.  
  
The footsteps stop in the doorway and by now Matt is absolutely sure. His senses are as shaky as the rest of him but he _knows Foggy_.  
  
“Daredevil,” Foggy says loudly, and his voice is hoarse and maybe Matt is going to kill someone after all because Foggy isn't supposed to sound like this. But he keeps talking. “We – we need to go. I mean, like, thanks for the rescue and all, but I'm worried they might _go after my partner next_ –”  
  
Matt leaps to his feet and strides as calmly as he can out the door, grabs Foggy's arm (gently, carefully) on his way by and keeps moving. Makes sure to keep a pace that Foggy can match. They need to get out of here. They need to get out of here _now_ because Foggy has just told him they _don't_ know who he is, and he is absolutely not going to be able to keep up any kind of act to the effect of Foggy being _just a civilian_ right now.  
  
“They said they knew we worked together to try and bring down Fisk,” Foggy says, breathlessly, and he hasn't complained but Matt slows down anyway. Just a little. As much as he can bear. “They figured we might still be friendly, thought you'd probably show up to save us. They couldn't find Matt. I don't know if they're still looking.”  
  
“Karen,” Matt rasps, _somehow_ , and at least if anyone is listening in on this they might shrug that off as his usual Daredevil voice. _Claire_ , he won't add, not unless Foggy says anything to make him think they know about her too.  
  
His senses are focused entirely on two things: their escape route, and Foggy. So he can tell when Foggy nods, and he wonders if Foggy is keeping up the act for a camera's benefit or if he's shaken enough he didn't notice the automatic gesture. Or if he just assumed Matt would read it. Whichever it is, Matt just hopes he won't instinctively describe it.  
  
He doesn't. “I texted her when I woke up. She called – a cop we know. He's staying with her.” _Brett_. They don't know about Brett. As far as Foggy knows, they don't know about Brett.  
  
Matt nods, breathes. “Good. I'm afraid I may have to cancel any future business I had planned with your firm, Mr. Nelson.” Foggy chokes on a laugh and Matt grins, despite himself, despite everything. “I can't be putting you all in danger like this. You won't see me again after tonight.”  
  
“Unless you're saving my ass again?”  
  
“Let's hope it doesn't come to that.”  
  
They don't speak again until they're out of the building. Matt wants – _needs_ – to take Foggy _home_ , to get there with him, to –  
  
He takes a deep breath. He needs Foggy to be _safe._ “Go to your partner's apartment, see if he's there. I'll follow you from the rooftops, keep you safe. If he's home, stay there tonight. I'll... keep watch.”  
  
Foggy swallows. “Sure you can't just walk me there?”  
  
“I don't want to make you a target all over again.” _I don't want anyone to see me walk into Matt Murdock's apartment and not come back out._  
  
Foggy stands up a little straighter. Takes a breath and says, voice brittle, but _strong_ : “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”  
  
Matt falls back into the alleys and finds himself a fire escape to ascend, still tracking Foggy's heartbeat, Foggy's footsteps, _Foggy_.  
  
He is trying not to break into a sprint and he thinks Foggy might be, too. Foggy needs to be inconspicuous and Matt needs to match his pace, never mind the adrenaline pounding through him and hissing  _run_.  
  
He realizes belatedly that he doesn't actually know if Foggy can _be_ inconspicuous right now. He doesn't know how he looks. He knows he's not bleeding and he knows there's a bruise under his right eye – he could smell the ruptured blood vessels. He wonders if Foggy would find that creepy or impressive. Possibly both. Maybe he'll tell him later.  
  
They reach the apartment building at the same time and Matt clambers in through his own window, scrambling out of his outfit – bloody, grimy, a reminder to Foggy of what he's just been through – and into a shirt and sweatpants, in time to open the door almost as soon as Foggy knocks. He makes himself wait, in case any of his neighbors are up. He doesn't think they are but he's rapidly losing focus again.  
  
“Matt!” Foggy calls, pounding on the door.  
  
“Foggy?” he says, opening the door and ushering him inside (and closing the door and _locking_ it).  
  
They head out to the living room, Foggy babbling along the way: “They're not looking for you anymore, I overheard them saying one was enough, I just – I didn't know what else to say, I was trying to – I don't know, basically put a sign on your back, 'NOT MATT MURDOCK,' I don't _know_ –”  
  
They stop walking and Matt has a vague plan in mind that involves apologizing to Foggy a hundred times and making sure he's okay and telling him he did _great_ , but what happens instead is Matt pulls him into a hug and they both sink to the floor and Matt is sobbing and he can't stop.  
  
“They showed me – your body,” he chokes, voice muffled against Foggy's neck. Against his _throat_. Where Matt can feel his pulse. Which he didn't have, a few hours ago. “You were _dead_ , you weren't _breathing_ , you had no heartbeat, no _pulse_ , you were – you were _cold_ , I – Foggy, you were _dead_.”  
  
“They drugged me,” Foggy says, voice trembling, and Matt holds him tighter because Foggy has just been through hell, too, and he'll never be _just a civilian_ but he _is a civilian_. “I don't know what – I don't know what it was, they just said it – _probably_ wouldn't kill me, and they s– they said if I didn't cooperate they were gonna grab you or Karen next, so I just–”  
  
“I'm _so sorry_.” Matt can't make his voice any louder than a whisper, can't get his breathing under control. “Foggy, I'm so – so sorry, I don't–”  
  
“Hey, hey hey, you _saved_ me.”  
  
“I thought – they figured out–”  
  
“I did too at first.”  
  
Matt is trying so hard to reign himself in, to be calm and rational, to think of what to do _next_. “We need – to – to put some public distance between Daredevil and our firm, we–”  
  
“Matt, Matt Matt – can we just, not right now, okay? I just. I don't want to – I don't want to think about anything right now.”  
  
“You could have _died_.” It comes out more a whimper than words and Matt is sobbing again, face buried in Foggy's shoulder. This is supposed to be the other way around, Foggy is upset, Matt needs to be comforting _him_. “You were _dead_.”  
  
He feels lips, pressing against his hair. “I'm okay, buddy,” Foggy whispers. “You got me, okay? You got me out, I'm – I'm fine. I'm. Totally okay.”  
  
“You're – a terrible liar.”  
  
“You're a _lie detector_.”  
  
They laugh, more than a little hysterically.  
  
Foggy starts shaking harder and harder and Matt takes a deep breath, rubs one hand up and down his back, rhythmically. “You _are_ gonna be okay, Foggy, I promise. I'm gonna keep you safe. I'm gonna keep you _safe_ , you got that?”  
  
“Mm-hm,” Foggy squeaks, nodding against the side of Matt's head.  
  
“Hey. Come on. Your turn to freak out, now,” Matt whispers, and Foggy laughs and starts to break down.  
  
“I thought – I wasn't – gonna wake up,” he says, strangled, into Matt's shoulder. “Or I – I would and you'd – be _dead_ – because I – let them _get_ to me–”  
  
“No, no no no no,” Matt whispers, rocking them both back and forth, and it's his turn now to press a kiss to Foggy's temple. “Foggy, Foggy, Foggy, this was _not_ your fault.”  
  
" _Matt_ –"  
  
They stay on the floor for a long time. In the end they're both still shaking, but they're also drained and exhausted and their heads are pounding, and Matt gets them both some water while Foggy goes to dig through the drawer of clothes that he keeps here for some pajamas.  
  
(And Matt waits for the perfect moment to say “did you know I can smell bruises?” and Foggy spits water everywhere and calls him an asshole, and they laugh a little less hysterically than before.)  
  
They lie in Matt's bed for a long time before either of them falls asleep. Foggy gives in first, Matt draped over him like a security blanket.  
  
Matt stays awake as long as he can.  
  
When he finally does drift off, he is still listening to Foggy's slow, steady, familiar heartbeat.


End file.
